THE SALE OF THE VICTORIA CROSS AWARDED TO CORPORAL SAMUEL MEEKOSHA, 1/6TH BN, WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT, HAS BEEN SOLD AT AUCTION BY SOTHEBY'S OF LONDON.
3rd May 2001


( select to enlarge )
Medal entitlement of Corporal Samuel Meekosha,
1 / 6th Bn, West Yorkshire Regiment

  • Victoria Cross
  • 1914 - 15 Star
  • British War Medal ( 1914-20 )
  • Victory Medal ( 1914-19 )
  • King George VI Coronation Medal ( 1937 )


The sale of the Victoria Cross awarded to Corporal Samuel Meekosha took place at the auctioneers Sotheby's, on 3rd May 2001 and was sold to a private buyer for the hammer price of £92,000. ( The WWII medals of his son Felix, who served in the Royal Engineers, were also sold at the same auction ).


For the award of the Victoria Cross

[ London Gazette, 22 January 1916 ]. Near the Yser Canal, France, 19 November 1915, Corporal Samuel Meekosha, 6th Bn, West Yorkshire Regiment.

For most conspicuous bravery near Yser, Corporal Samuel Meekosha was with a platoon of about twenty non-commissioned officers and men, who were holding an isolated trench.

During a very heavy bombardment by the enemy, six of the platoon were killed and seven wounded, while all the remainder were buried. When the senior non-commissioned officers had been either killed or wounded, Corporal Meekosha at once took command, sent a runner for assistance, and in spite of no less than ten more big shells falling within twenty yards of him, continued to dig out the wounded and buried men in full view of the enemy and at close range from the German trenches.

By his promptness and magnificant courage and determination he saved at least four lives.

Samuel Meekosha was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 4th March 1916.


( Privates Johnson, Sayers and Willkinson, of the same battalion, received the DCM for assisting Meekosha ).

Samuel Meekosha died on 8 Deember 1950, aged 57, at his home in Oakdale, Monmouthshire ( now Gwent ) and was cremated at the Glyntaff Crematorium, Pontypridd, where his ashes were removed by his family. There is no memorial.

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Iain Stewart, 5 May 2001